


Hunger of Flesh, Longing for Ease

by Katrina



Series: 31 Days [9]
Category: One Piece
Genre: 6-1-19, Because I can and the idea won't go away, Because serial killer, Blood, Cannibalism, Community: 31_days, Community: story_arc, Gen, Humanitarian Rosi, Shock, Stop - Freeform, Taste, The heart its own rough animal., Why?, Will Be Violence, apology, canon compliant killer Rosi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-10-05 11:11:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17323934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katrina/pseuds/Katrina
Summary: Childhood trauma did not help Doflamingo's sanity. It didn't help Rosinante's very much either. He just hides it better.Most of the time.AKA: The serial killer AU that I wasn't expecting to write





	1. Shock

**Author's Note:**

> For 31_days on Dreamwidth  
> 6-1-19:The heart its own rough animal.  
> and  
> For story_arc on Dreamwidth  
> Shock
> 
> This was something of an unexpected story, but what I get for talking to my friend about the sort of reactions you usually get to the kind of trauma that the Donquixote brothers went through as children.

The first time was unintentional. 

Rosi had getting older, and Sengoku had him doing a lot of things around the base. While he wasn’t old enough to fully join up, he was working as a cabin boy. That’s pretty much what happened to every person who showed up to join before the age of sixteen. It's also what most of the kids of the current Marines ended up doing. 

Which was why Rosi was here. 

Generally, he was quiet and hung back. He was awkward as hell, but Rosi still made a few friends. It wasn’t like he was anti-social, he just didn’t know how to really interact. Most of his exposure to other kids before Sengoku had picked him up was his brother or children who hated them. 

When he had first started to live with Sengoku, the man had kept a very close eye on Rosi. He was aware that the boy had been through an extreme traumatic experience. There had been some talks between the new family unit, but Rosi had never shared everything. He knew it, and he knew that Sengoku knew it. But the man had never pushed, especially as it seemed Rosi had settled in okay. 

Rosi wasn’t sure about it, but he was trying. He was trying hard to fit in with everyone else. 

But, now, there was a new cabin boy who seemed to hate Rosi on sight. 

Already tall and clumsy, most people hadn’t thought twice when Rosi started tripping more often than before. Rosi didn’t tell them that he was being tripped on purpose. The new boy, Ken, was a kid who everyone liked. They were full of praise for him, and he was charming in turn. 

Rosi knew that if he tried to blame the other kid for anything, it was just going to get him frowned at. Sengoku was a rapidly rising military man, and Rosi was expected to take care of himself. Especially as he as getting older himself. 

That was only the start of things. There were older teens who were supposed to be around to watch the cabin boys, but it wasn’t always the case. Rosi found himself poked, tripped, quietly mocked. His things were messed with, sometimes went missing. 

The blond was miserable, and having flashes of Before. 

Rosi didn’t like to think of Before. Before Sengoku had found him and brought him here, to a base where nobody hated him on sight, where he was safe. Where people didn’t try torturing him for the fun of it.

Until now. 

“I know what you are,” came a cold voice behind him one day. Rosi had found a quiet place, out of the way, where he could hide. Where he didn’t have to worry about whatever his tormentor had come up with today. 

Seems he was wrong about that. 

Turning around, Rosi looked at Ken with wary eyes. Even being a year younger than Ken, he loomed taller than the other boy. “What?” 

“I come from a nice little island. Or it used to be nice. Weren’t affiliated with the World Government, but we were doing okay.” There was something that gleamed in the other boy’s eyes. “And then we got an infestation. World Nobles, who thought they could play at being human.” 

There was a smile on Ken’s face, but it wasn’t a good smile. To be honest, it gave Rosi a flash of his brother, which sent a shiver through him. Tension curled in his gut, and Rosi found himself shifting from foot to foot, suddenly on edge. This.... No, he -couldn’t- know.

“You’re one of them, the filth that think they are in charge of the world,” Ken was continuing. Rosi found himself starting at the other’s mouth. He could hear the words, but they sounded muted, distant. 

There was a look of smug superiority on the other teen’s face. And then he continued. 

“I’m going to tell -everyone- about you, monster. They’ll all know what sort of beast you....”

That was when Rosi punched him in the face. The other stumbled back and landed hard, obviously not expecting Rosi to lash out. 

Rosi had been so good so far. But the other was threatening to tell everyone where Rosi had come from before. And Rosi knew how that would turn out. He had lived it once before already.

But, unlike before, this time Rosi was bigger than his tormentor. He was bigger, he was stronger, and something was broken in him. 

Scrambling after the other, Rosi pinned him down, hand raising to punch him again. And again. And again. Again, again, againagainagain! When Ken started to try fighting back, Rosi flung himself into it, biting and kicking as well as punching.

Panting, Rosi slowly came back to himself. He looked down at the ruined mess of face that was below him. Couldn’t let the other talk, and his fingers, they were so long now. They wrapped around the thin throat so easily. 

It was like he only watching what was happening as Ken struggled under him. That he wasn't connected to the hands that were squeezing tight around a bruising throat. To hands that Ken was clawing at, trying to get free. The other boy’s eyes were wide. Well, one was. The other was a mess of blood and torn flesh. Rosi wondered if there was even an eye left under that mess. 

Then he realized there wasn’t. He recalled the popping sensation under his teeth. .

Then the struggles slowed. Stopped. Rosi waited until he felt the body go limp under him. 

Letting go, he was quiet, watching, waiting to see if Ken would start moving again. 

Sengoku would be so disappointed in him.

Licking his lips, Rosi paused at the taste of blood. There was a curl of something in his gut, and he realized it was all that tension he’d been carrying unraveling. He felt...free. For once, -he- was in charge of his life, not the people who wanted to hurt him. 

Lifting up a bloody hand, Rosi licked a streak of red away, leaving behind clean skin. More tension seeped away. 

Rubbing his face, smelling more blood as it smeared his skin, Rosi found himself smiling. For the first time in a long time, he controlled his own life.

Now, he had to clean up this mess.


	2. Stop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More serial killer Rosi. Look at him setting rules up.
> 
> For story_arc on Dreamwidth  
> Five 05: Stop

The second time it happened, Rosi knew he had to set some rules for himself. 

It wasn’t like he killed anyone who would be missed by any decent sort. Had been coming back late from doing some errands and someone tried to mug him. 

Well, murder and steal from his corpse, but Rosi was in the right, as far as he was concerned. This time, there hadn’t been the overwhelming angerragefear combination that had filled his encounter with Ken. Which was all right by Rosi, he thought better without that mix of emotions. 

This one, well, he just....

Rosi didn’t feel guilt about Ken, and that had been another cabin boy. One who was going to ruin Rosi’s life, but he had still been part of the same group. 

This guy wasn’t even that. He had tried to murder Rosi, and the teen was not going to let that happen. There hadn’t even been a hint of guilt in his body when he had stabbed the man with his own knife. Instead, Rosi felt happy that his training was starting to show, and he had been able to handle himself in a fight. 

After killing this guy, even if it hadn't been his intention when he had left base, Rosi had felt the same sensation he had gotten when he had killed Ken. An uncoiling of stress and a shiver of relaxation as he looked down at the remains.

Crouching next to the body, he studied it, poking at it with a finger. Lifting his hand, he licked the blood off his finger, and considered this. 

Logically, Rosi knew he couldn’t go around killing anyone who tried to hurt him. It wasn’t realistic. This sort of thing wasn’t... normal. He wasn’t supposed to kill people. That was something Doffy did. Rosi had always been too weak for it. He had also learned that, to be a marine, he was supposed to help people. 

Rosi could kind of claim, if only to himself, that killing someone like this was helping people. The guy couldn’t kill anyone else to rob them. That seemed like a good thing, but he also knew that it would just get him in trouble. 

He needed to set rules for himself. Obviously, the first one was going to be that he couldn’t kill anyone who wasn’t trying to kill him. No more people he knew, either. He had lucked out with Ken. Had been able to deal with that mess in a way that didn’t lead back to him. Which was more luck than skill. And Rosi didn’t even plan on moving this body. It was just going to get brushed aside as a mugger having bad luck going after a more talented target.

They’d assume he went after a Marine who fought back and not look too hard.

Not completely wrong, but Rosi still didn’t want to chance it. 

That was it, for now. Rosi knew he’d probably end up doing this again. The soothing sensation it cause, that realization of control over his own life was in his hands. He shouldn’t. But he was going to. 

He had to put the rules into place, to stop him from doing something that was actually bad. Rosi didn’t want to hurt anyone innocent. The idea of doing that made him squirm in uncomfortable ways. Completely the opposite of the reaction he wanted. 

Making sure there was no blood on himself, Rosi was pleased to see how clean he was. A little scuffed up from the initial attack, but he hadn’t gotten hurt at all. 

It was good to know he was finally starting to get some real control over his limbs. 

Picking up the bag he had been carrying, Rosi slipped out of the alleyway, and started walking back to the base. As he walked, he worried over the idea in his head. Nobody innocent, that was the biggest rule. Rosi would never consider hurting someone like this if they didn’t come at him first. This was going to be the hard core, rock solid basis of anything he added onto this later. Once he had more time to think about it. 

Rosi didn’t want to be like his brother, threatening to kill everyone. It sent shivers down his spine at the idea of being like Doffy. 

There was something wrong inside him. Even without quite understanding what, Rosi knew that. But he could have better self control than Doffy. 

Just had to make and follow his own rules.


	3. Taste

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Doffy wonders what his brother is up to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For story_arc on Dreamwidth.
> 
> Also, thank you everyone who has bookmarked this, even if you are hiding it. And subscribing. I love all of you, even if I have no idea who you are. Extra love to those who leave kudos~
> 
> Italics are writing.

He had been looking for his brother when Doffy realized that the new Corazon was not on the ship. That caused a frown, because he liked knowing when people were ashore, in case they had a run-in with the Marines. Those people had been able to track him quite well lately. Must finally have gotten someone with some sense in charge of the chase. Annoying.

In any case, Doffy was about to send a few of his crew to go looking when he saw Rosi coming up the gangplank. It had taken a moment to recognize his brother. Rosi wasn’t wearing the coat that Doffy had given him, and was actually wearing other dark shades. 

Actually, as Rosi stepped on deck, Doffy was pretty sure that the shirt Rosi was wearing was stolen out of his own wardrobe. 

“You didn’t leave a note,” the older brother said, frowning. He realized that Rosi was carrying something with there was a grimace and a gesture of apology. “What’s that?”

Rosi hesitated, then held it up more. Looking at it, Doffy realized it was something wrapped in waxed paper. There was a soft smile on his brother’s face, and that actually caught Doffy’s attention more. 

Hadn’t seen that particular look of relaxation on his brother’s face in a while. Lately it seemed that Rosi was always tense, eyes vaguely hunted. 

It reminded Doffy of when the first few weeks after Rosi had joined up with the crew. When his little brother had still been so unsure of both his place on the ship and his place in Doffy’s affections. 

It also reminded Doffy of their childhood, when they had actually been hunted.

Doffy despised the Marines that had put that look back onto his brother’s face. 

But it was gone now. Rosi looked relaxed and...happy. A bit of a brat as well, as Rosi gave him a small, cheeky grin. He gestured for Doffy to follow him, and then headed below towards the galley.

The cook wasn’t there currently, and Doffy watched with curiosity as Rosi quickly and efficiently set up. It turned out that it was meat wrapped in the paper. It looked like some sort of pork, and it didn’t take long for Rosi to set it up to cook. 

Prep was quick, and everything was on the fire, Rosi grabbed his notebook. 

_Sorry, thought I left one. Needed stuff._ A wave of his hand at the pot, which was starting to steam. _Had to get some meat for this._

“And what is ‘this’?” Doffy could admit, even with it just starting to cook, the smell of spices was good. And familiar. 

_Comfort food,_ Rosi scribbled out. He started to write, then paused, obviously trying to find the right words, absently chewing on his lower lip. _Took forever to find the right spices that smelled right. ___

__Rosi shrugged, checking on the food. He gave his brother a wry smile afterwards, leaning against the counter._ _

__As he watched his brother work, Doffy wondered if Rosi understood why those spices smelled right. After all, his little brother had been so -very- young when their father had dragged them from their proper home. He may not even remember the stuff, but that was all right. Rosi had still managed to find spices that smelled of home._ _

__He pushed the thought away, focusing on the now. In a way, though he was still irritated that Rosi had vanished without a note, this was nice. Just the pair of them, spending quiet time with each other. Well, any time with Rosi was quiet time, but just being the two of them...._ _

__Doffy was reminded of before, when it was him and his brother against everyone else. It happened now and then, when he and his Rosi were the only ones interacting. Seems Trebol made his brother wary, and the other executives didn’t seem to know what to do with Rosi._ _

__Well, it would work out at some point, Doffy was sure of it. Rosi hadn’t even been here for a full year yet. And he’d been gone for such a long time before that. Sometimes, Doffy wished he had made sure to bring his brother with them when he had tried to get his proper place back. But his brother was such a baby back then, sobbing over their worthless father._ _

__In any case, that was in the past, and this was now. “Well, it does smell like home,” Doffy said, smiling as his brother gave him a startled look. Rosi seemed unsure about how to respond to that, lifting a hand to scratch at his chin, and Doffy’s eyes narrowed in._ _

__The shirt wasn’t a black shirt. It was very, very dark blue. The fabric was expensive and soft, and the blue only showed when it moved. So the spots of darkness on Rosi’s arms had been almost invisible until Doffy was looking and the other man moved._ _

__“Rosi, is that blood on my shirt?”_ _

____

~~~

The question got a wince from Rosi. He hadn’t meant to get blood on the sleeves, but it still happened now and then. Had gotten much better about his kills as he got older.

And he had found he needed to go out more often since starting this mission. Seems that stress pushed up that urge, and while Rosi hated it, he also accepted that it was part of himself. He still followed the rules that he had set for himself for so long. 

Looking down, Rosi looked at the dark spots that had sprayed out when he had made the kill. Carving up a bit of flesh had also caused a bit of mess. Though Rosi had thought he had avoided it. 

_I went hunting._ The writing was a bit sharp, and he ducked his head, looking up at Doffy through his lashes. _Sorry about the shirt._

Doffy was still frowning at him, though the man moved closer, hand reaching out and catching Rosi’s arm. The fingers were firm as the man pulled his hand out, turning it some to look. This close, Rosi could see his brother’s eyes through his glasses. They were narrowed, and it was almost a shock for Rosi to realize that his brother was -worried-. 

It was a good thing Rosi was well practiced at keeping himself silent, or he might have ruined everything. Was aware that he was still shaping the word ‘oh’ with his mouth, but there was no sound. He gave Doffy a smile, reaching up at tapping his brother’s chin. A reach, and he wrote out _Fine_ , wanting to let Doffy know he wasn’t hurt at all. 

There was a snort, and Doffy stepped back, giving Rosi space again. “Hunting? Really? We have more than enough belli for you to buy food,” he sniffed. The older looked a little unhappy, but Rosi could only shrugged. 

Taking a moment to stir the food again, which was smelling good, Rosi looked down at it as he tried to think of what to do next. 

He took the notebook, tapping the pencil against it a moment, trying to think of how to word it. _Hunting calms me. It always has._

Did not go into detail on that, because he definitely did not want to get Doffy asking about what Rosi hunted. _Then I cook. That the best part._

That had been a small step, going from just enjoying the taste of the blood to wanting to actually eat the flesh. It hadn’t even been a bit jump. He tended to bite anyway, had since he had bitten Ken’s eye out so many years ago. But he wasn’t some animal, and cooking his food was always better. 

Doffy was frowning still as he looked at Rosi, and Rosi waited to see what his brother would do. That was the problem with Doffy. He might focus on the hunting. He might decide to let it all go. He might even decided to get pissed about the fact Rosi had gotten blood on his shirt. Never knew which way his brother was going to go. 

Donquixote Doflamingo was a feared pirate for a reason. 

“You went into my room.”

And of course he went a different way that what Rosi had expected. Rosi let himself flush, ducking his head. Actually forced the flush, but knew it would distract his brother. Knew that Doffy was having ideas, and he took advantage of them. _Stole it from the laundry._

There was a flicker of several emotions across Doffy’s face, but the one that lasted was amusement. “Ah, Rosi, I would happily give you nice shirts as well.”

Rosi let himself continue to blush, though he kicked at his brother’s ankle. Sticking his tongue out at Doffy, Rosi went to check on the food again. It was almost done, and he stirred it again. Almost burned, but not quite. Rosi speared a bit, and nibbled on it. It was good, and he considered a moment.

Then he offered the fork to Doffy, a small smile on his face. His brother would have no idea what he was eating anyway, and it was rude to keep the food to himself after making it in front of the other man.

Doffy smiled back and took the bite.


	4. Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Curiosity killed the cat, but Doffy just has to know what his brother has been up to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, Doffy, questions you really don't' want answered. Here's the chapter I planned on posting last week until RL murdered me.

This was something that Doflamingo had been waiting for. 

Once they had gotten back onto the seas, dealing with the Marines again, habits had formed. His little brother’s wanderings and those quiet dinners they shared became a bit more common. He learned to see the signs that his brother was going to let him know he was hunting, and then vanish a bit. At least his brother was taking Doffy’s warning about not leaving without telling him to heart. 

So the older was ready when Rosi came looking for him. 

“I want to come with you.”

It was a simple statement of fact, and Doffy saw the surprise and the hesitation that flickered across the paint-free face. Rosi was so rarely without it anymore that Doffy did enjoy seeing his brother’s clean face. It was obvious that the younger man wasn’t sure if he wanted to let Doffy come with him. 

Though they both knew it wasn’t a request. Not really. Either Rosi would let Doffy come along, or Doffy would tell him to stay on the ship. That Doffy was making the request was a show of politeness. He expected obedience from his crew, and especially from his brother. But since Rosi -was- his brother, Doflamingo could pretend a little politeness.

Finally, reluctance still clear in his face, Rosi nodded. He looked Doffy over, giving him a pointed expression. Doffy looked down, frowning at his clothing. “What?”

_You need to leave the coat. Subtle colors._

A gesture at himself, and Doffy felt the corner of his mouth quirk up as he realized that his brother was once again wearing Doffy’s stolen shirt and a pair of darker jeans. He didn’t have his jacket, either, though it was dark. 

As he noted that, Doffy also noticed that his brother was writing again. _Have to stay back. Need to look alone._

And that was a curious statement. “Why...?” The shake of Rosi’s head cut the question off. Doffy allowed it, sure he was going to get his answers. If not now, then when they came back and he could corner his brother and demand them. 

“Fine. Let me change, and we can go.”

That happened fast enough, and he followed Rosi off the ship. The area they docked at was one of the quieter ones. Not a busy dock like the merchants docked at to unload their cargo. Though that was the directions that Rosi took them. As they got closer, Rosi paused, a small hand gesture indicating that Doffy needed to wait. 

“I’m still going to follow,” Doffy said easily. “But I’ll let you have your space.” Because he was curious, and he had to grin as Rosi blatantly rolled his eyes at Doffy’s words. 

He did enjoy having his brother around again. Nobody else was quite so free with him. It was charming. 

Rosi rolled his shoulders, and then started to walked off. Once he had gotten some distance between them, Rosi’s walk changed. 

He was still moving easily enough, but Doffy was intrigued to see that his brother was swaying, staggering a bit here and there. It only took a few minutes for him to realize that his brother was walking as if he was very, very drunk. The man paused now and then, leaning against a wall, pulling out something from his pocket and pretending to drink. What was going on?

It didn’t take long for someone to notice. A shadow started to follow Rosi, and Doffy knew what it was. This part of town would be thick with thieves, looking to both steal wallets or kidnap sailors for trade to the more dubious ships as crew. 

A drunk sailor was easy bait. 

It didn’t take long for Rosi to stumble into an alley, and for the shadow to follow him into it. Doffy, suddenly a little alarmed, moved faster. He knew Rosi wanted him to stay back, but there was still that urge to protect his brother. Even though he knew that Rosi was capable of taking care of himself and wasn’t actually drunk, every instinct Doffy had screamed that someone was trying to hurt his baby brother. Was far enough behind that he knew any fight would be over by the time he caught up.

When he came around the corner, he had to pause, unsure of what he was seeing. 

The man who had obviously wanted to mug Rosi was down and on the ground. Rosi crouched beside him, and it took a moment for Doffy to realize that the unknown man had a bloody gash where his throat was. His shirt was cut opened, and there was another line of blood down his torso.

There was a twist in his gut, and Doffy realized that Rosi had his hand in the man’s body. For a half second, there might have even been a feel of nausea. But he shoved it aside, because the man was only human. He was starting to get the idea of what sort of meat Rosi had been bringing back to the ship. 

Rosi pulled his hand free, something dark in his grasp. Doffy was pretty sure it was a bit of liver. A bit got carved off, and Rosi popped it into his mouth. As he did, he shifted so he could look at Doffy through his fringe, offering up the meat to his brother. Doffy shook his head, eyes drawn by the blood on Rosi’s mouth. His stomach did a twist again.

Shrugging, Rosi cut another slice of the organ and ate it, then set it aside and worked on getting a nice chunk of meat cut off the man. Wiping his hands on the man’s shirt, he pulled out some waxed paper from a pocket and wrapped the meat. Grabbing the man’s shirt, he hauled the now mutilated body over to the side of the alley. The smell as he tossed the man into a pile of refuse was nauseating, but Doffy could see why his brother did it. Nobody would poke too closely at that pile, as it already smelled like something was rotting there. 

Then, surprisingly clean for what he had just done, licking the last of the blood from his fingers, Rosi rejoined his brother. There was a hint of challenge in Rosi’s dark eyes, and Doffy wasn’t sure how to take this. 

His brother had surprised him. 

That they had been eating humans was a surprise. That Rosi had deliberately set out to kill and butcher a person....

Doffy didn’t know his little brother as well as he thought he had. But he was intrigued now, and he smiled at Rosi. 

“Well, you -have- been keeping secrets. Let’s go back and have dinner. I think we have a lot to talk about, little brother.”

This was going to be illuminating, he was sure of it.


	5. Apology

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Law needs to eat. Rosi doesn't hesitate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For [Story_Arc](https://story-arc.dreamwidth.org/) Five 05: Apology

This was the first time Rosi ever felt bad about this. 

He felt guilty with his first kill. Less so with each until he didn’t feel bad about ending any of these people. And it wasn’t a guilt because he actually felt it wrong to kill someone. He knew that he would get a disappointed look if it was found out by people he looked up to. 

Even that faded some after he had taken Doffy hunting with him that one time. His brother, who was a horrible person bent on burning the world down, had been shocked by the fact Rosi had been feeding him human. It hadn’t stopped him from partaking when the younger came back from a hunt, but there had definitely been some serious questions that Rosi had to be delicate about answering. But the fact that Doffy had continued to share meals with him had soothed something in Rosi. Which was not a good thing, but it was still something that happened. 

Now, though, he actually felt bad. Law was so sick that hot food was needed for him. Hot, good food. Given that they had gotten into a scuffle with the town earlier after setting yet another office on fire, Rosi wasn’t exactly welcomed in town. And Law had taken a downward turn, shivery and small, and Rosi just....

He had made sure Law was settled, wrapped up warm next to the fire, and he went out. Rosi had his rules, he had them for a very good reason. But, unfortunately, he was a Donquixote, and he was starting to think that meant they were all mad. All doomed to be monsters in some way or another. 

This time, he went hunting for a very specific person. It went against the first rule, about not targeting someone. If he kept it impersonal, if he let them come to him instead of going after particular people, it felt better. He took out those who would prey on others, it made it feel a little cleaner. He was helping others out, cleaning up predators who would hurt them. At least he could pretend to justify it in his mind. 

Rosi still knew it was wrong. But he was a master at twisting things around in his mind. 

Donquixote trait, that.

Now, though, he was hunting. And he soon saw his target. 

Seeing the doctor who had called Law a monster, who had tried to convince Rosi to let Law die, laying in the snow bleeding, there was a twist of triumph and dread in Rosi’s chest. But he didn’t let himself dwell on it, instead moving to work on getting what he wanted from the body. 

There was guilt sitting heavily in his chest. Not for what he had just done, but for what he was about to do. At least he still had seasonings and such in his bag, so at least the meat would be cooked properly.

He hoped Law didn’t find out. It was odd, having someone he was concerned about disappointing again. 

The boy was asleep when Rosi returned. It was just as well, and Rosi kept quiet, as only he could. He set up a pot and some water, boiling it before adding the meat. It was cut up small, added in with seasonings and what veggies they had left. A good and proper stew, something filling for Law. Rosi worried about how much weight the teen was losing, making him even thinner than he had been before. So any chance he could get to get Law to eat a full meal, he took it.

He enjoyed the taste of this food. Hoped that Law would do the same. The more food he could get into Law, the happier he’d be. 

The smell of it cooking was what woke the boy. He stirred, shifting, eyes hazy as they opened. “Corazon?” he said sleepily, blinking at where the tall man hunched by the fire. Rosi looked back, smiling at the boy. 

“Cooking dinner. Think you could eat?”

There was a pause as Law was debating it. The shadows under his eyes looked even darker in the firelight, and Rosi had to hide a grimace. He gave Law an encouraging smile instead. 

“Yeah.” The word was soft, tired. It broke Rosi’s heart hearing it. Law was only thirteen. He shouldn’t sound so tired. But the fact he agreed to eat did help with the pain in Rosi’s chest. He was going to find a way to save this boy. Swore it to himself again. Was going to find a way for Law to live. Spooning up a dishful, Rosi offered it carefully to Law. The boy took the bowl, frowning down at it a moment, then he he started to eat. 

Inside, Rosi apologized to the boy, knowing he’d probably be horrified about what his meal consisted of. But it was Law eating, and while he felt bad, he was going to encourage Law to eat as much as possible. 

He’d get Law to live. No matter what he’d have to do for it to happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tada! All done. This is my story with the highest number of subscriptions, and I hope that everyone who subscribed or bookmarked have enjoyed this. 
> 
> This has been a surprisingly fun story. It was born from my roommate and I talking about the Donquixote brothers childhood, and the ways that neither of them should have grown up 'normal'. Once it was in my head, well, I had to write it up. 
> 
> I've debated writing a psuedo-sequel, one that follows a Rosi!Lives timeline. Not sure if I should, or if I want to leave it with this. Let me know what you think, because I am easily convinced to write more.


End file.
